Photographic-film support.



C. F. BARR & W. R. MILLER.

PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16. I9I5.

Patented J an. 30, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET C. F. BARR & W. R. MILLER.

PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY l6, I915. 1,214,408. Patented Jan.30,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. F. BARR & W. R. MILLER.

PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED )ULY 16, 1915. 1,214,408. Patented Jan. 30, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES 1?. BABE AND WILLIAM R. MILLER, OF WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA.

PHOTOGRAPHIC-FILM SUPPORT.

Application filed July 16, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Gnannns F. BARR and W'ILLIAM R. MILLER, citizens of the United States of America, residing at VVin- Chester, in the county of Frederick and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic-Film Supports, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in. photographic film supports designed for use in connection. with such films while being dgveloped, rinsed, fixed, washed and then dried, without the necessity of rehandling during the entire process.

The primary object of the invention is the provision. of a buoyant device upon which the film may be supported and the device and film be permitted to float in the different fluids while the film is being treated.

In the process of developing photographic films much time and labor are lost in preparing the film for its bath in the difierent fluids, and constant attention is necessary on the part of the operator to prevent the films from coming in contact with each other while in the bath. These objections are overcome in the present invention by the utilization of a device or support for the film upon which the film is carried, without change or alteration in its position or relation to the support, during the entire process from the first step of development to the drying of the film, and the films are held apart from one another while in the bath by the formation of the supports upon which the films are independently suspended. The supports, which are buoyant, are each equipped with suspending means, so that the supported film, whether of roll. type or pack type, is held submerged in the bath while the support floats upon the surface of the liquid or fluid.

The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts whereby a buoyant support is provided to float upon the surface or at the surface of the fluid and hold the film in suspended position beneath the surface of the fluid; in means for adapting the support for different lengths of films of the roll type; in means for compensating for contraction or expansion on the part of the film during the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 30, 1917.

Serial No. 40,219.

developing process; and in other features as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated several complete embodiments of our invention constructed according to the best modes we have so far devised for the practical. applications of the principles of our invention, all of which have provcn highly satisfactory and successful in actual use.

Figure 1 is av perspective view of a photo graphic bath tank showing different forms of the device floating therein with suspended films. Fig. is a perspective view of a holder in the position in which the roll film is suspended before being floated in inverted position in the tank. F 3 is an enlarged sectional view on line 3-3 Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line i4: of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of the left end of the support of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a portion of the support near the right end of the device shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the under part of a portion of the support in Fig. 5 showing the extensible rack. Fig. 8 illustrates one of the suspending posts with its clip closed thereon. Fig. 9 illustrates the same clip open. Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of a modified form of the support, the two pieces ofthe device being resiliently connected. together. Fig. 11 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view of the left end of the support of Fig. 1.0. Fig. 12 is a sectional. view in perspective at line aa Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is an enlarged, partly sectional view of the metal. post and clip of the support of Fig. 10.

The invention as illustrated in Figs. 2 to 7 inclusive embodies an extensible and resiliently adjustable support for a roll film so that the support may be positively and fixedly lengthened or shortened to adjust it to the length of film, and in addition the support has parts resiliently connected together so that the support between the suspending posts for the film may move to compensate for expansion or contraction of the film during the process of treatment.

As depicted in Fig. 2 the support comprises three separate pieces, the extension end piece 1, the intermediate piece 2 and the adjustable end piece 3. These parts are a eferably made of wood and the two end pieces are movable with relation to the intermediate or body member 2. Ehe extension. or extensible piece .or bar 1 is slidable on the in'ermediate bar 2 through the medium of the two metallic bands 4i and 5, the former attached to the bar 2 by pins or nails as 5 and the latter li ed on the extension or rack bar 1 by nails i, so that these parts loosely connected together in order that the rack bar 1 may be extended with relation to the bar 2 to lengthen the support. in this nanner the suoport may be extended to adapt it for use with different lengths of roll films. To hold the extension in its adjusted position, a spring tongue or pawl 8 is attached to the band at which it will be remembered is fixed to the bar 2, and this pawl is adapted to engage any one of a series of notches 9 centrally located and alined along the surface of the extension 1. By the utilization of this pawl and series of notches, the extension bar may be held in extended p0sition to increase the length of the support and the pawl or ratchet 8 prevents the extension from moving inwardly to contract the support.

The adjustable bar or end piece 3 is also loosely connected to the intermediate bar 2 through the medium of a pair of guide bands 10 11 similar to the bands l 5 and the pins or nails l2 1? connect the bands fixedly to their respective bars 3 and 2. A spring 15 forms a resilient and adjustable element of connection between the bars 2 and 3. lt is located in a longitudina ly extending slot 16 in the bar 2 near the end of the bar, and by means of the pin or nail 17 the spring is fitted at one end to the bar 2, while its other end is Xed to the screw eye 18 in the bar 3. The nail l9 prevents the guide bands from slipping otl the end of the bar '2, but it will be evident that the spring 15 will permit the ar 3 to move in the direction. of the arrow in Fig. 6 tor the purposes to be described.

The end pieces 1 and 3 are provided with posts as 20 21 respectively, preferably strips of wood rectangular in cross section and fixed in sockets in the pieces 1 and 3. As a. matter of convenience the ends of the posts project through the bars as at 20 so that the supports may be manipulated by grasping these projections as handles when using the supports to place the film 22 in its bath, or in takin the support therefrom. Each wood post is equipped with a clip 23 of resilient metal formed with integral ears 24 that are pivoted 25 to the post, and the free end of the clip is formed or fashioned as a hook 526 which is adapted to engage the top end of the post which may be provided with a metallic wear plate or cap 27. The

inner face of the clip is provided with a toothed plate 28 riveted thereto at 29, and

vholds the film toothed plate is to securely hold the end of the film as :22 between the clip and post. in suspending the film 2:2 between the posts, the extension 1 is first arranged in proper position to adapt the length of the support to the length of the film, and then the end of the film is attached to the post 20 between the post and clip by snapping the hook over the capped end of the post. The resiliency of the clip causes the toothed plate to engage and impinge the film against the wood of the post and the film at this end is thus held rigid. The film is now stretched across the support to the post 21, but before attaching the film to this post however, the adjustable end 3 is moved slightly in toward the end 1 sulliciently to bring the spring 15 under tension. The free end of the film is now attached to the post 21 and the post freed. The tension of the spring urges the adjustable end 3 away from the intermediate bar it, and this feature of the spring not only holds the extension bar 1 against its pawl 8, but it allows for either a slight contraction or expansion of the suspended film due to action of the fluid while developing, yet at the same time the spring distended and prevents wrinkling or buckling.

in the modification shown in Figs. 10 to 13, the extension end is omitted, andonly two members are employed to the support, the bar 30 and its adjustable slide bar 31 which are resiliently connected by means of the spring 33 seated in the slot 34: in bar 31. The spring is attached to the bar 30 by the screw eye 35, and the other end of the spring is attached to a prong or spur 36 struck up from the body of the metal band 37 which is secured to the bar 31, another band 38 being attached to the bar 30 near its end so that these two bands guide the movement of the two bars relatively to each other. A pin 39 (Fig. 12) is provided in the bar 30 over which the perforated end of a tongue 420 may be passed when it is desired to hold the two bars in adjusted position with the spring 33 under tension. But after the film is attached, this connection is of course broken. lln this form of the invention, metal posts 41 are employed made up of channel metal perforated at 42 for the reception of the prongs l3 struck from the material of the resilient metal clip let. 'lhe film is securely held between the prongs and the perforated post, and the support is made adjustable by shortening the support to place the spring under tension before the film is placed in position between the posts. A hook 45 may be provided at one end of the support from a, wood block nailed to the end of the bar 80, and the support may be suspended by this hoolr when the film is drying; or, if desired,

the hole 4:6 in the end of the bar 31 may be employed for this purpose.

In all the illustrated forms of the invention it will be seen that the film is suspended from its support so that it may be submerged under the surface of the liquid bath while the support floats upon the surface of the liquid, as indicated in Fig. 1. After the films have been properly stretched on the supports they are placed in the tank, With the film. beneath and the supporting bar above. It is not necessary to carefully and slowly submerge the film as is customary in most devices now in use, but the film with its support may be placed in the bath with but slight attention on the part of the operator and after once being left in the bath needs no further attention unless for a slight stirring of the liquid or fluid. There is no danger of the films comingin contact with each other while in the bath, it will be seen that each film stands upon its edge, and the width of the supporting or buoyant bars prevents contact of the films if the bars contact with each other. After being once suspended between the suspend ing members of the support, the films are preserved in this position through the developing, rinsing, fixing and drying steps of the process. The film is held in best position to insure proper and uniform treatment in the baths and in its suspended position it dries out uniformly and evenly without buckling or twisting. There are numerous other meritorious features and advantages in this manner of supporting the film during treatment, and there are numerous changes and alterations contemplated in the construction of the devices but these are all covered within the scope of the appended claims.

hat we claim is 1. An extensible film support comprising a pair of buoyant bars, means connecting the bars for automatically extending the support, and members carried by the bars for supporting a film between them.

An extensible film support comprising a pair of overlapping buoyant bars co-act ing with each other and each provided with a guiding member for the other bar, means connecting two ends of the bars for automatically extending the bars, and means carried by the other ends of the bars for supporting a film.

3. An extensible film support comprising a pair of bars with overlapping ends, means connecting said ends for automatically ex tending the bars, and a post carried by each of the other ends of the bars with attaching means for supporting a film between the posts.

4. An extensible film support comprising a pair of bars with overlapping ends and each end having a fixed guide band encircling the other end, one of said bars having a longitudinal slot therein and a spring located in said slot having its ends attached to the ends of the bars for automatically extending the bars, and means on the bars for supporting a film.

An extensible film support comprising an intermediate bar and an end bar and means connecting said bars for automatically extending them, a third bar, and means on the intermeditae bar co-acting with the third bar for holding said bar in adjusted position.

6. An extensible film support comprising an intermediate bar and an automatically extensible end bar, a third bar havin notches therein and operatively connectec to the intermediate bar, and a pawl on the intermediate bar to engagessaid notches and hold the third bar in adjusted position.

In testimony whereof we atlix our signatures.

CHARLES F. BARR. WILLIAM R. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. 0. 

